Wind-up for wire cloth looms



Aug. 2, l93& t H a.. THOMPSON v WIND-UP FOR WIRE CLOTH Looms original Filed April s, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Amm Original Filed April 3, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,125,824 e WIND-UP Fon WIRE cLo'rH LooMs Herbert L. Thompson, Elgin, Ill., assignor to Rey- I nolds Wire Co., Dixon, Ill., a corporation of Ily l v linois 10 Claims. (Cl. 139-304) The object of my invention is to provide a wind-up mechanism for woven wire cloth, particularly adapted for use in a wire cloth weaving machine of the kind that has other means for advancing the Awoven cloth through the machine. 1

More particularly, it is my object to provide such a wind-up mechanism, having parts so arranged as to receive the woven cloth from the machine, impose necessary tension thereon and wind the same in a proper roll on a mandrel.

In greater detail, it is mypurpose lto provide such al wind-up apparatus provided with a Windup mandrel, a pressure rolland a weight roll n for `engaging the wire on themandrel and for rotating the mandrel by friction, and for guiding and controlling the wire, said pressure and weight rollsbeing automatically movable away from the mandrel in accordance with the growing size of the wire cloth roll on the mandrel.

" With these and other objects in view, my inventio'nconsists inthe construction, arrangement? and combination oi the various parts of my wind-up for a wire cloth loom, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view through a portion of a wire cloth loom equipped with a Windeup jembodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of one end of one side of the-loom.V

j Figure 3 is a vertical, sectional view of the 35 wind-up mechanism, showing a roll of cloth on the mandrel. v

Figure 4 is a side elevation of that part of the loom having the wind-up mechanism; and

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the opposite side 40 of the wind-up mechanism.

fThis application is a division'from my Patent No".` 2,022,225, issued-'November` 26, 1935. LThe wind-up Amechanism here illustrated is intended to be used with a loom of the kind 45 shown in that patent, which has the side fram members 15.

p In order toshow the general relationship of the wind-upv mechanism to the other mechanisms, of the weaving'machine, I have indicated 50 at A a part'of the warp feed yand control mechanism. At B, the heddles are shown,l and at C is the beater. The incoming warp wiresvare illustrated at IIJ and the woven cloth at Illa.

l This is a loom of thetype in which the Warp wires are drawn upwardly vertically for the weaving operation. At the upper front part of the loom is the cloth advancing means consisting of a roller 16 mounted on a shaft l1. The cloth Illa travels upwardly from the weaving 5 mechanism and over the roller 16 on which it is held by the endless belt |00 traveling on the rollers 99 carried by the shafts 91-98, which are supported by the armsd pivoted on the shaft 88, which in turn is journaled adjustably in 10 brackets 9| on the main frame members. This cloth advancing apparatus is the special subject of my co-pending application, Serial No. 45,979 liled October`21, 1935.

v From the roller 1G, the cloth Illa travels downl5 wardly and forwardly, preferably over an inspection apron, not here shown, to the wind-up mechanism. In looms in ordinary use, the finished wire is usually wound upon a wind-up member and 20 tension is provided by means of a transverse Weighted roller bearing upon a bight in the cloth. The action of the Weighted roller is made constant regardless of the mechanism, which rotates the take-up mandrel and winds up a certain 25 l amount of cloth, thus raising the weighted roller each time after it has dropped low enough to trip a wind-up clutch. In such ordinary looms, thek wind-up mandrel is the inal warp tension support since the wire is stretched between it and the drum from which the warp wire is fed. Warp tension is established and maintained by the rotation of this wind-up member. At the beginning of a run, the cloth is wound tangent to perhaps a two inch radius. As each layer or convolution of cloth is added to the intermittently rotating mandrel, the radius at which it is receivedbecomes greater by the thickness of one layer of `cloth.`

Since the weight roll imposes an .average uniform tension on the cloth, it is obvious that each successive convolution of cloth on the mandrel imposes a greater torsional stress upon the mandrel. The cloth being attached at one end to the mandrel must carry thesame torsional load as the mandrel on the inside convolution, and if the roll becomes twice the size of the mandrel, the cloth next the mandrel is subject to stress nearlyv twice the weaving tension. As this tension rreaches the elastic limit of the wire, permanent elongation of the wire results. Since warpv wires varyin their elastic limits and some stretch more than others, this sometimes results in what is known as pulled cloth. Y When the pull is `bad enough, the cloth can not be marketed. The present wind-up mechanism, particularly when used with the breast roll 16 may be employed in a loom without any such tendency to produce pulled cloth.

At the lower front part of the loom is a windup mandrel 200, having the form of a hollow metal cylinder and constituting a roll. The mandrel has a longitudinal slot |0 I; The purpose of the slot |0| is to receive the edge of the woven wire cloth as illustrated for instance in Figure 1 when the cloth is started on the mandrel.

At the ends ofA the mandrel 200and projecting therefrom are the hollow gudgeons |02. The gudgeons |02 are provided with the circumferential grooves |03. The main frame members 15 support hardened steel rollers |04, which support the gudgeons |02 with their edges received in the grooves |03.

The wire cloth |0a after it passesY over the roller 16 is drawn downwardly and forwardly in the machine until its edge can be inserted into the s1ot"'|0|.

The mandrel is then turned by hand until the slack in the cloth is taken up.

VAbove thewind-up mandrel Y200 is a pressure roll |05 mounted on a shaft |06. The ends of the shaft |06 are journaled in bearing blocks |01. The bearing blocks |01 are slidably mounted in inclined guide slots |08 formed in frame elements |09, which have bracket arms' I0 and I bolted to theframe members as shown in Figure 5.

Secured tothe opposite lends of each bearing block |01 are the ends ofchains .||2.

Atfthe lower ends of vthe frame members |09 are Vstub shafts I3 (Figure 2 forexample) on whichA are 4idler sprockets II4, over which the chains ||2 travel.

In the upper ends of the frame members |09 is mounted a shaft ||5 on which are sprockets ||6 over which the chains |I2 travel.

vvIt will `be seen that by rotating the shaft I|5 and the sprockets fixed-thereon, the chains may be manipulated .for raising or lowering the pressure roll |05. This mechanism also insures that the pressure` roll |05 will always be kept parallel with the clothk and the wind-up mandrel.

'On the shaft I5 is a hand wheel |1 by which the' shaft ||5 can be manually operated.

yOn the shaft ||5 is a ratchet IIS. On one o1 the frame'members'lDS is pivoted a pawl |20 arranged to coact with the ratchet ||9. This pawl may rbe'manipulated for holding thepressure roll |05 after it has been manuallyraised. for any purpose, asV for instance to'permit the removal of Ya wind-up mandrel with the roll Aof cloth thereon.. The 'mandrel and the roll.` of. cloth thereon are rotated by the friction imparted from the pressure roll |05 and the weightroll. hereinafter. referredto. d

Motion is imparted to the pressure roll from a traveling endless -chain |2| which travels over sprockets not shown and receives motion from one of them and alsortravels over a sprocket |22,

Y which may be an idler sprocket or roller sup-A ported on the frame-'just below and rearwardly from the pressurev roll |05 and over an idler s'procketnorl roller |22a mounted on -a suitable bracket'on one of the guide blocks |01.

Fixed with relation to the pressure roll |05 is sprocket|23 between the sprockets |22 and liza. Thefsprockets |22 and |22a so guide the chain |2| that the chain engages the rearward n part of the periphery of the sprocket |23.

fit -will vbe observed that the sprocket |22a travels with the bearing blocks |01 and that the construction described permits the bearing blocks |01 and the pressure roll |05 to slide up and down in the frame members |09 according to the diameter of the roll of wire on the wind-up mandrel.

There is enough play in the chain |2| to permit this operation without the use of any special take-up or chain tightener.

`Pivotally supported on the shaft |06 between the frame members 15 are rearwardly extending arms |24. A shaft |25a has its ends journaled preferably by antifriction bearings, not shown, in the arms |24. On the shaft |25a is the weight roll |25. This weight roll is driven from the pressure roll |05 by a chain |25 traveling on sprockets |21 on the pressure roll and weight roll l(Figure 2).

. In the complete machine, the parts are so designed that the pressure roll and the weight roll 't'ravel at a surface speed which slightly exceeds thatof the.- breast roll and hence slightly exceeds .the speed of the feed of the cloth.

This results in a continuous slight slip between.the-pressure and weight rolls on the one hand and the roll of the cloth on the wind-up mandrel on the other.

The purpose of providing for this slip is to impart to the cloth that tension derived from its friction with the pressure and weight roll surfaces.

Since the cloth is advanced by the breast roll, I find that by providing for this, slip, there is afforded a satisfactory means of producing the desirable slight tension on the cloth for .winding it up.

The frictional contact between the pressure and weight rolls and the cloth is constant within close limits and is not altered to any harmful extent by the amount of cloth, on the mandrel. Y VIt rwill be observed that the parts are so arranged that the cloth is guided around a portion of the periphery of the pressure roll |05 and then reaches and is wound on the wind-up mandrel.A The pressure roll alone would make a fair roll ofi cloth upon the wind-up mandrel but I find that the addition of the driven weight roll, urging the cloth forward at about'the point where it passes under the pressure roll the second time serves `to give; the cloth tensionclear around the outside convolutionv of the cloth roll and results in asnug b ut not unduly tensioned roll of wire cloth, which roll does not unduly bind the mandrel andcan be removed from the mandrel by the simple` expedientY of pushing the mandrel out of the roll of cloth after the removal of the n'laridrelv from the machine.

In operation the pressure roll Aand weight roll are `raised by means of the hand wheel ||1 and the end of the cloth is connected tothe lmandrel andthe mandrelis manually rotated until the cloth is snugly taut, whereupon the pressure rolll and weight roll are lowered'until they engage the cloth onthe mandrel as4 Vshown-inY Figure 1.. .Y

It. willnbe understoodthat the'chain |2| is operated in synchronism with the breast roll.

A:As the machine .operates and the roll of wire cloth becomes larger, the bearing blocks |01v may slideupwardlyin the'slots |00A of the frame members. |09, and the pressure and weight rolls also: move upwardly, butalways bearing against theA roll of cloth (see Figure 3). f

.When asufflciently large roll of cloth has been formed upon the mandrel, they cloth maybe cut above the wind-up` mechanism, and; then the pressure and 'weight rolls arek lifted away from contact with the roll of cloth on the mandrel by manipulation of the hand wheel The roll of cloth is tied by vmeans ,of wire fastened around it. Bars may be placed in the openings of the gudgeons |92 and the workman can use the bars vfor lifting the mandrel up and away from the rollers |04 and out of the machine. The mandrel can then be slid lengthwise from the roll of cloth and replaced in the machine.

For preventing any telescoping of the inner convolutions of cloth on the mandrel v-by axial crawl, I have provided an additional precautionary means. Near eachend `of the windup mandrel is a at metal guidev |33 (Figure 2), which is arranged to be adjacent the end of the roll being formed. Each guide |33 -is supported by a rod |34, which is horizontally `slidable in a bearing |35 on'the main frame member; By means of set screws` |36 threadedly mountedr in the guides |35 and adapted to beiadjustedto engage the rods |34, the rods and guides can be locked inany of their adjusted positions.

The guides |33 act as` retaining means at the ends of the roll of wir-e cloth to conne the cloth to a roll of a length corresponding to the vwidth of the cloth being woven. 1

I have thus provided in my wind-up mechanism a simple means for taking care of the cloth as it comes from the weaving loom, winding it on a mandrel under adequate tension, keeping the outer layer of Wire tensioned and smooth and Vguiding the wire, so that the roll is kept straight.

The mandrel with the roll thereon is easily removed from the machin-e and the mandrel can be quickly and easily replaced.

Such a structure in a loom of the kind under consideration where the wire cloth is advanced through the machine by other means .makes it possible to get a smoother and better roll of cloth than can be produced where the wind-up mandrel is employed for pulling the cloth through the machine.

It will, of course, be understood thatit is my purpose to cover by the claims appended hereto any such changes in construction or arrangement of parts that may be included within the scope of my invention and of the wording of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a wind-up apparatus for a wire weaving machine, the combination of means for engaging woven cloth and advancing it, with a mandrel, and mechanism for Winding the cloth on the mandrel after it has been acted on by said means, said mechanism including a pressure roll adjustably mounted above the mandrel in the path of travel of the cloth from the means to the mandrel, so that such cloth is pressed against the mandrel by the weight of the roll, and means for operating the pressure roll at a speed faster than that of the advance of the cloth from the first means.

2. In a wind-up apparatus for a wire weaving .machine the combination of means for engaging woven cloth and advancing it to a wind-up device, with a wind-up device including a mandrel, and mechanism for winding the cloth on the mandrel i after it has been acted on by said means, said the fall of cloth traveling between the means and the mandrel, to impose weight on the cloth on the` mandrel; i i i 3. In a Wind-up apparatus for a wire Aweaving machine, the combination of means for engaging woven cloth and advancing it, with a mandrel. and mechanism for winding the cloth on the mandrel after it has been acted on by said means, said mechanism including a pressure roll adjustably mounted above the mandrel in the path of. the travel of the cloth from the means to theman-` drel, so that such cloth is pressed against the mandrel by the weight of the roll, and a weight roll adjustably mounted, on the opposite side of the fall of cloth traveling between the means and the mandrel, to impose weight on the cloth on the mandrel, and means to operate the pressure roll faster than the rst means. y 4. In a wind-up apparatus for a wire Weaving machine, the combination ormeans for` engaging woven cloth an-d advancing it, with a mandrel and mechanism for winding the cloth on the` mandrel after it has been acted on by said means,

said mechanism including'a pressure roll adjustably mounted above the mandrel in the path of the travel of the. cloth from the means to the mandrel, so that such cloth is pressed against the mandrel by the weight of the roll, av Weight roll adjustably mounted, on the opposite sideof the fall of cloth traveling between the means and the mandrel, to impose weight on the cloth on the mandrel and means to operate the pressure roll at a speed faster than that of the travel of the cloth from the first means.

5. In a wind-up apparatus for a wire weaving machine, the combination of means for engaging Woven cloth and advancing it, with a mandrel and mechanism for winding the cloth on the mandrel after it has been acted on by said means, said mechanism including a pressure roll adjustably mounted above the mandrel in the path of the travel of the cloth from the means to the mandrel, so that such cloth is pressed against the mandrel by the weight of the roll, and a Weight roll adjustably mounted, on the opposite side of the fall of cloth traveling between the means and the mandrel, to impose Weight on the cloth on the mandrel, and means to operate the weight roll at a speed faster than that of the travel of the cloth from the first means.

6. In a wind-up apparatus for a wire weaving machine, the combination of means for engaging woven cloth and advancing it, with a mandrel and mechanism for Winding the cloth on the mandrel after it has been acted on by said means, said mechanism including a pressure roll adjustably Vmounted above the mandrel in the path of travel ofthe cloth from the means to the mandrel, so that such cloth is pressed against the mandrel by the weight of the roll, and a weight roll adjustably mounted, on the opposite side of the fall of cloth traveling between the means and the manN drel, to impose weight on the cloth on the mandrel, and means to operate the pressure roll and the weight roll at a speed faster than that of the travel of the cloth from the rst means.

7. In a wind-up device for a wire weaving machine, a frame, amandrel mounted thereon for free rotation, a pressure roll above the mandrel, means for mounting the pressure roll for imposing itsfweight on the cloth being wound on the mandrel and to permit the pressure roll to move away from the mandrel as the roll of cloth on the mandrel increases in size, means for raising said last-named means for moving the pressure roll-away from the mandrel, means vfor imparting rotation to the pressure roll, and a weight roll hung from the pressure roll to impose its weight on the mandrel and the'cloth thereon on the opposite side of the fall of cloth advancing to the mandrel, from the pressure roll. t

8. In a wind-up device for a wire weaving machine, a frame, a mandrel mounted thereonY for free rotation, a pressure roll above the mandrel, means for mounting the pressure roll for imposing its Weight on the cloth being wound on the Vmandrel and to permit the pressure roll to move away from the mandrel as the roll of cloth on the mandrel increases in size, means for raising said last-named means for moving the pressure roll away from the mandrel, means for imparting rotation to the pressure roll, a weight roll hung from the pressure roll to impose its weight on the mandrel and thecloth thereon on the opposite side of the fall of cloth advancing tothe mandrel, from the pressure roll, and means; for imparting rotation synchronously to the pressure and weight rolls. t

9.7In a wind-up device for a wire weaving machine,V a mandrel, means for supplying wire cloth to the mandrel, a roller mounted adjacent the mandrel to engage thefall of wire cloth as it approaches the mandrel and to engage the roll of wire cloth on the mandrel substantially as shown, the pressure roll being mounted to impose its Weight on the roll of Wire cloth on the mandrel and'to be moved away Afrom the axis of the mandrel as the roll of cloth'onthe mandrel increases in size, and means for imparting rotation to the pressure roll, so that its surface travels slightly faster than does the fall of wire cloth with which it engages.

10. In a wind-up device for a wire weaving machine, a mandrel, means for supplying wire cloth to the mandrel, a roller mounted adjacent the mandrel to engage the fall of wire cloth as it approaches the mandrel and to engage the roll of wire cloth on the mandrel substantially as shown, the pressure roll being mounted to impose its Weight on the roll of Wire cloth on the mandrel and to be moved away from the axis of the mandrel as the roll of cloth on the mandrel increases in size, and means for imparting rotation to the pressure roll, so that its surface. travels slightly faster than does the fall of wire cloth with which it engages, a. weight roll for engaging the roll of wire cloth on the mandrel and arranged on the opposite side of the fall of Wire cloth approaching the mandrel, said weight roll being actuated for rotation at a speed slightly greater than that of the approach of the wire cloth to the pressure roll and mandrel, whereby the wire is impelled toward the mandrel by the pressure roll and is impelled toward the pressure roll by the weight roll.

' HERBERT L. THOMPSON. 

